The Call of Autumn
by Sam Cuddles
Summary: Sometimes, two people need to fall apart to realize how much they need to fall back together. When Yi Jeong returns after a four years absence, Ga Eul wasn't about to welcome him with open arms, not after how things left off four years ago. (AU).


**The Call of Autumn**

_Stormy grey clouds churned overhead, interspersed with occasional flashes of lightning, followed closely by the booming sound of thunder. The skies were angry, maddeningly so. Autumn was furious this year, almost vindictive. The wind of Seoul was biting, stripping trees of their leaves, bringing them down as one would to an arch nemesis. The clouds, united by their dark almost black color, had bathed their beloved city in darkness; casting a peculiar glow on the city of millions. Sheets of rain poured down, relentless in its intensity, drenching them immediately. The ground was soaked, evident by the shallow streams of water washing around the still bodies scattered all over, the clear water turning crimson red as rain and blood mixed. The gun fell with a loud 'clang' to the floor, the sound deafening in the eerie silent night._

_His body ached and protested as he made his way through the fallen adversaries. The metal cuffs dangling from his left wrist, one end open and the other still clasped tightly around his raw and bleeding skin. His stomach turned, rolled and churned painfully. The bile rising quickly in his body, demanding to see light and he ached to let it pour out of him, hoping it would cleanse him, ease of the burden of failure. Sinking down numbly, his knees hit the ground with a splash. Desperately, he gathered her in his arms. Cold, muddy liquid seeped up his dark pants. The once white shirt, now torn, mud-stained and wet, but he barely noticed it. After all, every other inch of his body was just as wet. The rainwater washed down his face, mingling with the tears he did not realize he had shed. They streamed down his face, streaking his skin with evidence of his anguish._

**_No, no…NO!_**

_The strangled voice inside his head was loud, screaming in his head, begging to be let out. But although slightly parted, no sound escaped from his lips. Just the harsh, ragged inhalation and exhalation of his breath._

_Gently, he laid her limp body back to the ground, careful not to move her too much. Help was on the way, the sound of nearing sirens assuring him of that fact. She was going to be just fine._

_She just had to._

_He averted his eyes from her semi naked torso and kept his focus on her wound, pressing down firm enough to keep her from losing too much blood, more than she already has. The slight rise of her chest beneath his hands kept him sane as second by painfully long second passed. He pressed a shaking hand to the base of her throat, searching for the 'thump, thump' of her heart. He found it, although faint and weak but there nonetheless. He couldn't help himself but remember how they raced beneath his lips over and over again like they couldn't beat fast enough for **him** and now they were barely beating at all._

_The sound of gurgling blood made his own blood freeze cold and panic gripped his heart viciously. His hands were soaked red, the golden watch around his wrist as well. He looked at her face, chin painted crimson as blood ran freely down her throat and neck like a river. It pooled around his hands, soaking them more. _

_"I…" it took all of what was left of her energy to utter the single syllable and he moved closer, catching her wandering eyes waiting for her to see him all the while keeping the pressure on her still bleeding wound. He offered a smile knowing it came out more of grimace; just baring his white teeth but he did all the same._

_"Hey," he tried not to look at her bloodied face and kept his focus on her eyes. They were bigger now, luminous in their fear and bravery. "It`s going to be just fine sweetheart. Just a flesh wound. A few stitches and we will be on our way to the Bahamas just like I promised you."_

_She tried to smile, the slight movement had her gasping in pain, coughing violently; filling her eyes with tears._

_"You`re a lousy liar So Yi Jeong!" He held her challenging gaze despite the guilt that wanted him to look away in shame. It wasn't a flesh wound and it needed more than a few stitches. They`d be lucky if she made it to the hospital alive._

_"Just a little bit longer Ga Eul! Just a little bit longer…"_

_The time he took to look over as the ambulance and several cars screeched to a halt next to them was enough for her to slip away. Her chest rose sharply once before stilling. He tried to find a pulse beneath his thumb, the rushing of blood in his ears and his swimming vision making it hard to look for one._

_His eyes ran over the unmoving body in front of him. He brushed her wet hair away from her cheeks. Then his trembling fingers followed the path of his eyes, caressing the cold, clammy skin with fleeting touches. The color of her lips had faded. Her usually expressive brown eyes were blank, dead, staring lifelessly up at nothing. The normally soft pink hue of her skin had turned pasty._

_His fingers trailed down her neck, and then shook uncontrollably when they hovered over the raw bloody wound staining what was left of her top. He clenched his hands into fists, squeezing his eyes shut tightly._

_The medical training kicked in and survival instincts took over. Tipping her head back, he pinched her nose slightly and pressed his parted lips to her own bloodied ones, filling her lungs with air. The metallic taste of blood barely registered as he repeated the motion several times, starting chest compression._

_He counted out loud, his voice breaking the silence that descended on them. "Over here!" he shouted and saw two medics radio in as they made their way over to them. The words 'agent down, multiple gunshot wounds, no pulse' were cutting him more than knives or bullets ever could._

_He allowed them to take over, hovering next to them. He watched as they worked on her, trying to stop the bleeding. He followed them to the ambulance, watching them try to dry her of rainwater that drenched her so they could jump start her heart. The pads touched her chest, a loud 'clear' followed before her body arched off the gurney, back bowing in response to the current running through her body. He looked at the monitor, the flat green line and the loud 'beeeeep' mocking him and his failure to keep her alive._

_'Charge 300' the pads touched her once more, 'Clear'. He stood outside the double open doors of the ambulance, the rain stronger than ever. "C`mon, c`mon, c`mon…"_

_The third time was a charm. The monitor gave a single beep, interrupting the long continuous mocking 'beeeeeeeep', the heart rate rising. "We`ve got a rhythm. Bag her!" A breathing mask covered her face, the inside fogging indicating she was breathing._

_"Female officer. Gunshot wound. BP: 80/40. Two abdominal wounds, clean exit. Upper left chest, no exit wound, bullet`s fragmented. Book the OR ASAP. ETA: 7 minutes."_

_The medic in charge finally noticed him. "Sir, are you hurt?" he shook his head, eyes still on her._

_"The blood sir?"_

_"Not mine!" Hers, all hers._

_"We have to go sir! Are you riding along with the victim sir?"_

_He must have shaken his head for the doors were closed with a loud 'bang' and he was watching it speed away from the scene._

_How could he let this happen? It was **his** mission. It was **his** responsibility to ensure that they make it out safely._

_And he had failed._

_ He had failed himself._

_Worst of all, he had failed **her.**_

Four Autumns Later…

**_~! Something always brings me back to you._**  
**_It never takes too long._**  
**_No matter what I say or do_**  
**_I'll still feel you here 'til the moment I'm gone. !~_**

The Autumn of Seoul hasn't changed for the four years he has been away. The wind of Seoul was biting as usual in this time of the year, trees bare of their leaves, bringing them down as one would to an arch nemesis. The ground was a mix of yellow, orange and purple crunching underneath hurried footsteps one minute and crumbling softly beneath luxurious stroll the next. That was Seoul in a nutshell. The combination of opposites.

The taxi ride was quiet, the hum of the engine filling the small vehicle with the occasional horn blaring loudly followed by a string of muttered curses as the driver maneuvered the bright yellow taxi through Seoul`s traffic. Twenty minutes later the car stopped at a coffee shop around a corner. Paying the fare, Yi Jeong strapped the bag to his shoulder and exited the car, slamming the door shut behind him.

The smells attacked him. A mixture of coffee, cars` smoke, an exotic women`s perfume and the smell earth after it rained; Seoul. How he missed his city, his home. How he missed the Autumn of Seoul.

_Stop it! Stop thinking about her._

He hadn't stopped ever since he left on that fateful day four years ago. He hadn't left actually. His body did, but his heart was left behind with her in the hospital bed.

"I am tempted to pour the coffee on you for the stunt you pulled!"

The coffee tasted bitter, black no sugar just how he always liked it. It burned his tongue, the pain offering a temporary relief from the guilt. Woo Bin stood holding his own cup between his gloved hands. His best friend since the academy days welcomed him warmly after slugging him when he opened the door and found him on his doorstep at 1 A.M. He had held the whiskey bottle high enough for Woo Bin to see it.

"But I don't need to. You`re punishing yourself way better than I ever could!"

He ignored the remark much like he had ignored his friend`s questions for the two days he has been back. He started to walk knowing that his friend wasn't far behind. Their building wasn't very far, a 10 minute walk from where they were.

Woo Bin sighed, following behind before falling in step with him. Yi Jeong was keeping mum about his absence, where he was for the past four years, what he did and why he was back. He chanced sideways looks at his best friend`s profile. The changes were glaringly obvious. He was thinner, his face more angular than before. His eyes were more guarded, almost lifeless. Lips were pressed firm in a thin line.

_What happened to you Yi Jeong?_

The irony wasn't lost on Woo Bin. He had seen this mask before, had been seeing it since Yi Jeong left his partner behind.

Chu Ga Eul has become as icy as So Yi Jeong. _You trained her well buddy!_

"Aren't you gonna ask about her?" He saw him visibly tense, the mask wavering and eyes dropping their guard as they looked at him in both surprise and guilt. It lasted less than a second and the mask slipped on once again, intact.

"I don't know what you`re talking about!" they swiped their access cards, the guard casting a look of disbelief at seeing Yi Jeong walk into the building just like it was an everyday occurrence.

"Bullshit!" His outburst caught the attention of many and Woo Bin lowered his voice, no use people gossiping from day one. "Bullshit, man and you know it!" The elevator was empty and the ride to the 7th floor began. "Your eyes look for her since you stepped foot in this building. Partners my ass, something went down in that mission and I am not talking about the shooting. It was enough for her to break down when you left without a word."

The harsh words of Woo Bin stunned him. Never did he sound so angry, so hostile towards him. As far as he knew, no one had any knowledge of what had happened between him and Ga Eul during that undercover job outside from what they reported back to their superiors and he was sure Ga Eul wouldn't have said anything that would ruin their careers. So for Woo Bin to notice, meant that he had left her to fend for herself, broken trying to mend herself.

The consequences of his decision were here, in his face not just in his head. He had thought of what were the implications of his decision to leave would have had on his team, on his friends, on her. He had questioned the call he made in the hospital for years, to relocate away from her, where he could no longer see her, put her in harm's way. He had booked a flight back home more times than he could count, cancelling them when he got sober the next morning. He had called her every day since he left, stopped when her number got disconnected three months after he left. Yi Jeong knew he did not regret what he did, just how he did it. He would never apologize for trying to protect her; just maybe the way to go about it had been wrong. And according to what Woo Bin was say, so horribly wrong.

The ding of the elevator was loud since nothing but silence filled the metal box. Him deep in thought, Woo Bin observing him. No one lifted as much as an eyebrow as he made his way through the desks. They knew him well enough to understand that no matter how much time passed while he was away, he would always come back. He knew they were curious. The hushed whispers attesting to that. Everyone would be curious to where he has been the past four years, most importantly to why he was back now.

Their offices were still the same. His eyes landing on where his used to be, now occupied by another who sat at his desk, in his chair looking at him. Dismissing him, he looked to the desk next to his old one. Chu Ga Eul`s desk was empty. Her beige coat covering the back of the chair which meant that she was here, somewhere in this building.

The thought shouldn't excite him as much as it did. Ga Eul was…

_Ga Eul was what?_

_Better question yet; Ga Eul **is **what?_

"Look who I found wandering about the city!"

Ji Hoo was the first to look up from his computer screen, his glasses perched high on his long nose. The team`s analyst leaned back into his chair, the deep almost searching gaze made Yi Jeong squirm and wish he was facing a firing squad rather than Ji Hoo.

"You dog! Where've you been? You don`t text or call. I am hurt Jeongie!" Gu Jun Pyo made his way to him, half a doughnut in his hand, the other half stuffed inside his mouth which was wide open for him to see the custard filling. _Almost like I never left…_

"Once a Casanova, always a Casanova!" Ji Hoo finally made his way to him, the hug short yet warm enough to let him know that he had been missed.

"It`s good to have you back!"

"It`s good to be back!"

**_~! You hold me without touch.  
You keep me without chains.  
I never wanted anything so much  
Than to drown in your love and not feel your rain. !~_**

Ga Eul hated debriefing, much more so after a two month undercover gig. They went over her statements three times already, from the first contact right down to how many times she peed a day. She understood the importance of her job, the importance of this particular case. She knew that she would be called on the witness stand, the defense prepping to take her down and as such she has to have her facts straight. Geum Jan Di wobbled in her 4 inch heels, cursing the Gu name with each step she took. Ga Eul kept quiet as Jan Di ranted how Jun Pyo`s office was far away from hers and how the heels were not made for easy commuting between crammed offices. Despite her nagging and complaining, Ga Eul knew that Jan Di was very fond of her colleague and would wear a skirt if it meant making him happy.

Ga Eul was jealous of that, if she was being completely honest with herself. She wanted what Jan Di had with Jun Pyo. Friendship, warmth, happiness…_love!_

_Yi Jeong!_

She missed a step in the same instance her heart missed a beat before doing its regular 'thump, thump, thump'. Saved from thinking the incident over, her cell rang loudly. The rock tune earning her a glare from Shin Eue, a 50 something old lady down from the archive.

"Chu speaking!" the phone tucked between her ear and shoulder as she busied herself with coffee vending machine.

"You`ve got to be kidding!" she huffed in annoyance, regretting her sass with Shin Eue earlier. "It`s not my turn to visit the dungeon!" She walked past a frozen Jan Di, not noticing the lack of the activities in their office.

"So who do I have to beg to switch ….?" Her eyes were already cast in her best puppy dog impression as she turned her eyes on Woo Bin but finding **_him_** instead. Her breathing was shallow, her head spinning, as she felt all the walls she'd fought so hard to keep up over the years fail. The pain, memories and feelings she'd felt, all of it came flooding back in a rush that almost left her dazed. Here he was, standing all dark and _within reach._

He wanted to say that he felt her before he saw her, just like old times but he`d be lying. He saw her first. Beautiful, fiery and **_alive_. **She walked with a purpose to her office, her back to them and she had yet to notice him or notice that the office was not in its usual chatters.

And when she spoke he felt her stirring beneath his skin, as if a sleeping dragon has been awakened, summoned by its mistress. It stirred, opened its jaws and howled.

She changed from the woman he knew. She looked older. Her body blossoming. Her hair changed too, leaning towards a shade darker than the light brown she kept, and a far cry from the flaming red she had when they were undercover and it was still long.

"It`s been a while!" _doesn't feel like it. Just like every Monday we had before, as if I never missed a single one…_

"Not long enough!" It slipped past her lips. Her tone was angry. Her words defensive. She knew that voice, still heard it in her dreams sometimes. Hated the feelings and emotions that it brought back to her, even after what he had done. Hated herself for reacting this way. She felt the pain and anger flare, along with frustration for letting this get to her.

She loved him, he used her and left. NOT Big deal!

_It is a big deal!_

Yi Jeong knew not to expect anything from Ga Eul, knew not to hope but he was a masochist yet her reaction to him was nowhere near what he expected. The clarity of her hatred stunned him; hurt him and most of all intensified the guilt he was feeling. He had made her into this, he had created this Ga Eul and he had no one to blame but his own stupid idiotic self.

"Chu," They all turned to watch as Jun Hee, their supervisor and head of their division made her way to them "Is there a problem here?"

Ga Eul wanted to scream, maybe throw that glass paperweight at his head but most of all she wanted to give into the desire to buckle to the floor and just cry.

"No, Ma`am," she leveled him with an ice-chilling look "No problem at all!"

Unconvinced, Jun Hee nodded motioning for Ga Eul to follow her. "Jun Pyo, archives now!"

"But noona!" The elder Gu narrowed her eyes, smirking as her much taller and bulkier brother cowered before her "Yes Ma`am!"

She was standing at the sink looking in the mirror when Jun Hee caught up with her. "Are you all right?" She asked, after checking to ensure they were alone. Gossip around the office was already going to be flying after their very public encounter just now. Ga Eul took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"I'm fine!"

_ Liar!_

"Just wasn't expecting him, that's all." Jun Hee was new. Reassigned a year after 'the incident' as she has come to call the case she worked on last with Yi Jeong. Jun Hee had no access to prior cases before she took charge unless necessary and those that she did were on need-to-know basis. Jun Hee didn't know per se, just the older woman had more skills and more intuition than the surveillance team combined.

"How long has it been since you worked together?"

"About four years." _Has it really been that long?_

"That must have been when director Joong was in charge." A time when there were missions that were sealed that she hadn't yet tried to get into. She wondered whether she should reconsider her push for access to the more confidential files on her new team.

"What can you tell me about it?"

"Not much." Files were sealed even now. There wasn't much she could tell. "We spent nine months deep undercover,"

"As a couple?" Jun Hee asked, though she already felt she knew the answer to that question. Ga Eul nodded as she took a deep breath.

"Is it going to be a problem working with him again?" Ga Eul visibly flinched. She hadn't given much thought about his return. Was it for good? Was it temporary? Will he leave again? Leave her?

_Stop it! He didn't think twice about leaving last time!_

"No." She wouldn't let it be.

"Did it get personal?" She noticed the tension increase at her question.

"Depends on who you ask and who's around at the time."

"I'm asking you and there is no one around,"

"Yes." Ga Eul closed her eyes as she continued, "He'll answer no, as would I if he was around."

Jun Hee frowned. That wasn't the impression she got from the scene she had witnessed between the two of them. "How do you know it didn't get personal for him?"

She opened her eyes and looked at her boss through the mirror. "Because he said so. Because he wasn't there when I woke up and I never heard from him again." Ga Eul felt that she wasn't in control anymore. Words fell unchecked past her defenses. She was back in time, in the hospital bed; in pain and heartbroken.

"Woke up?" Ga Eul turned to face her.

"I got shot. By the time I woke up in the hospital three days later he was gone. Relocated. New mission. No forwarding address." No goodbye. No Sorry you got hurt. No thanks for the memories, good luck in the future.

_Her eyes finally opened and she looked through the haze that seemed to be over them, to see Jan Di holding her hand, Woo Bin next to her; his face blank. She blinked a few times and things cleared a little. Something tugged painfully as she moved and she could feel it pulling to the point where it hurt. Physically hurt. Her mind was fuzzy, her memories scrambled; fragmented at best. Flashes of what happened rolled like a horrible horror movie behind her open lids. Jacob, the cover, strong arms, the smell of earth after rain, the pain, clothes tearing, more pain, her name screamed over and over again, the beating Yi Jeong took, the realization that the cover has been blown and they were about to be killed off…_

_"Yi Jeong?" she croaked out through an extremely dry throat. She hurt, but she didn't care what damage there was from the bullet. She needed to know he was all right. Her last image of him was bloodied, beaten and hunched, his breath wheezing loudly; the result of broken ribs possibly a punctured lung._

_"He's fine," Woo Bin assured her, giving her hand a gentle squeeze._

_"Where?" she asked. It was so hard to get her voice to work. He shook his head. She frowned at his reaction. "Where?" she asked him again, her voice slightly stronger._

_"He's gone sweetie" Jan Di`s normally strong loud voice was timed, soothing and she looked as if she`s waiting for the other shoe to drop._

_"Gone?" She tried to sit up, to look around, but it hurt too much. Adding to that, Jan Di had stood up and was holding her down gently, urging her to stay still. She looked up at them and willed her voice to work again. She needed to know. "What? To eat, to sleep? What do you mean, gone?" she begged._

_"Gone. He left."_

_"No." She shook her head. She looked at the chairs, hoping to spot his beloved leather jacket somewhere, anywhere. Had she imagined him at her side or had she hallucinated his voice? Was she that far gone?_

_"No, he wouldn't." She felt the tears push against her eyes. She didn't care. Jan Di must be lying. He wouldn't just leave. Not after everything they'd been through, everything that had happened between them._

_"He has," Woo Bin confirmed again._

_She shook her head again. "No." The tears started to fall._

_"He asked for a transfer overseas, relocated, moved away," he added. Each word pinned her to the bed like nails. Each word broke something in her she knew would never be the same._

_Her heart started to ache, breath difficult to come by. She heard the monitors go crazy around her, Jan Di`s pressing the nurse`s button. "He…Did he…" She couldn't get any more words out._

_"No, he didn't leave a number." She didn't know what hurt more, the pain in her chest from the bullet or the pain in her heart. It felt like a knife cutting it in half and the sobs that followed only hurt more._

_"No," The sobs took over her body, "no," became stronger and more uncontrolled. Her body arched off the bed with her cry, only to change direction, as she tried to curl into a ball, to try and stop herself from breaking. How could he leave her?_

_"No!"_

"It hurt you." Jun Hee could hear the pain in her voice, unexpected considering the length of time it had been. Though perhaps not. It did sound like neither of them had dealt with their issues very well, considering the reactions to each other so far, that she had witnessed.

It took Ga Eul a minute to come back to where they were. For that minute she felt like a prisoner in her own mind, the steel bars made of damaging memories. She closed her eyes briefly. _More than hurt_. "It was a long time ago!" she said in an attempt to avoid any further discussion about it.

"Time doesn't always make the pain goes away, especially if you don't have any closure," Ga Eul shook her head. "The door's well and truly shut. He shut, tripled locked and barricaded it."

_And I am still standing outside waiting like a fool!_

**_~! Set me free,  
Leave me be.  
I don't wanna fall another moment into your gravity  
Here I am and I stand so tall, just the way I'm supposed to be.  
But you're on to me and all over me. !~_**

A month has passed followed by another. The desk still felt foreign. It wasn't his. His was taken by 'Su-whatever' Pyo. The new desk was spacious. It faced the room, had a great view of the door and still Yi Jeong hated it. Mainly because it had him seated next to a loud chatty girl from the IT department and the other most important reason was his position has been moved from being next to Ga Eul to being right across the room from her. The distance between them was far, cold, and impersonal much like the space between them in real life. He had her in his life and now he didn't and from the looks of things she wasn't about to invite him over to hers anytime soon.

"Have you been briefed on the new case?"

"I skimped the file. International terrorist. Interpol`s lost puppy. Last known location: Seoul. Potential contacts: A chemist professor at… hey ouch!" he winced in pain, rubbing the back of his head where Jan Di smacked him with the files she was holding. "What was that for?"

"That was for leaving my best friend. And this," she whacked him again; harder "for whatever stupid thing you do next!"

"He`s been back for two months Jan Di. Don't you think it`s a little too late to beat him with the HR files?"

"Because of him, my best friend has been MIA for two months. God knows what job she took just to get away from him!"

Hearing about it and having it confirmed to him were two different things. He suspected that Ga Eul harbored less than positive humanly feelings towards him but now knowing that she hated him enough to accept any case was another. A set back to his plans, another one added to the pile. The top reason was seated in his old place, next to Ga Eul. Su Pyo.

Normally he would not give the cooler gossip the time of the day, but when the same tidbit has been circling, more intense with his return, he had no choice but to consider their truthfulness.

Su Pyo has been courting Ga Eul for the last two years, successfully going on a date with her last June; four months ago. The 'M' word has been dropped a few times and he wondered if he was too late.

Too late to get her back.

"Heads up!" The normally goofing Jun Pyo burst through, pushing people aside uncaring if they fell or not. "We got a new case. Immediate extraction. One of our own has been compromised."

Tactical training kicked in. Jun Pyo looked at Yi Jeong and despite being older than the newly returned agent, Jun Pyo knew that Yi Jeong was more qualified in certain areas of their work.

"Agent`s last check in was yesterday morning. Our offices in Prague found the car abandoned on the outskirts of district 8 along with a burned cell. The driver`s window was shattered along with bullets in the windshield; a sign of forced entry. No blood found, no prints but those that belong to our agent. The surrounding areas are industrials along with a few apartment compounds. The target owns a factory located in that area. Considering the state of the car there`s not much to conclude other than…"

"Other than our man has either been captured or is on the run for his life!" Ji Hoo added; grim. "Let`s gear up then. Time`s wasting"

Jun Pyo hated his job sometimes, more so now. The news was not going to be easy to hear, especially for Yi Jeong.

"Wait," he gulped nervously, his gaze resting on an anxious Yi Jeong "It`s Ga Eul!"

...

The extraction plan was simple.

Get in, grab Ga Eul, get out, and kill whoever get in his way!

He didn't say it was sophisticated or flashy but it would get the job done and get her home; to him. Even if she hated him still, he… he didn't know what but he knew he felt it enough to go to the end of the world for her and back.

Turning his attention back to his own packing, Ji Hoo busied himself loading his backpack with the necessary items. It was not long before his eyes zoomed in on Yi Jeong again. Surprise flashed across his face when he noted what he was packing.

"What are you doing?" Ji Hoo asked as he followed his movements. Why was he stuffing so many grenades in the backpack?

The rest of them paused and looked on curiously. Yi Jeong carried on as if nothing was out of place. "Getting prepared," he replied without looking at him, his absent tone grating on his nerves.

"Gee, it's not like we're going into a war zone or something," Su Pyo commented in an uncertain voice. "We're up against a small group of pissed off politicians."

"I'm sure they have back-up," Yi Jeong said flatly. _Just like Jacob did…_

Jun Pyo stepped next to him, his hand stilling his as he was about to drop another grenade into the bag. "Su Pyo has a point. We've got guns and a couple of grenades each. That should be enough."

"How sure are we that it's not going to turn out like a war zone?" he asked calmly. Taken aback, Jun Pyo just stared at him for a second before he managed to reply seeing how no one was willing to step to Yi Jeong other than him and his stupid cousin. "Well, the Intel suggests nothing of that sort."

He snorted. "Yeah, and the Intel's _always_ accurate, isn't it?"

_"Jacob operates alone. A lone wolf type of guy. Easy to get in , easier to get out. Our target is isolated. Your mission is to help drive him into the corner where we want him." _

To be fair, it had been easy to get in and wedge him into a corner he can't weasel his way out of. With him taking a liking to his pretend-girlfriend-later-turned-lover, Jacob was an easy catch. They just didn't count on the silent sharks guarding him.

"The extra grenades will weigh us down," Woo Bin said, concerned.

"The extra grenades might save our lives," he said firmly. "It's only a couple more grenades each, right? It's no big deal,"

"Hustle it. Chopper`s taking off in five"

_Just a little bit longer baby…._

**_~! Oh, you loved me 'cause I'm fragile  
When I thought that I was strong.  
But you touch me for a little while  
And all my fragile strength is gone. !~_**

Ga Eul was tired, thirsty and most of all wanted a shower. Prague wasn't made for impromptu vacationing. The city was suited for people who wanted to disappear. That had been the goal of Ju Ann, Korean-American exchange student who wanted to disappear. Her cover was good. No one asked questions, at least the right ones. It took less than two weeks to make contact and secure a job as seamstress in one of the factories, a front to human trafficking. Mission was to locate and arrange the extraction of the three Korean`s top nuclear scientist and bring them home along with their families.

She was beginning to think that field work wasn't written in her stars. That would make the second blown Op in her short history with NIS. Not a very good note in her permanent record. However that was the least of her worries. She was concentrating on staying alive to actually still have an active record. She shivered remembering how close they were to capturing her. A breathing talking Korean operative working in a foreign country. A valuable asset.

Hyun Shin and she got separated during the chase, heading for the woods whereas she took to the many apartment compounds scattered around the area. She was lucky enough to send the intel gathered on the prisoner`s whereabouts.

It took them exactly two days to know she`s missing, three hours and seventeen minutes to locate the hideout and twenty-nine minutes to extract the prisoners.

Simple.

Until one of the militants who were guarding the factory raised the alarm.

The order to evacuate was given and after two months of not seeing him, Ga Eul found herself covering Yi Jeong`s six. _Just like old time…_

"The choppers are supposed to be at Point B soon." Ji Hoo`s voice came through the comms; guiding them through the factory towards the roof to reach the chopper. "Jun Pyo and Su Pyo have extracted the prisoners. It`s just the three of you now!"

"What about Hyun Shin?" she was now between both men, Yi Jeong leading while Woo Bin brought up the rear.

"Nothing yet. Where did you see him last?"

"There`s a trek about two mile north of here, leads into the woods. He and I got separated there."

"He`s had survival training. We`ll go back for him as soon as you`re cleared trouble magnet!" Il Hyun`s voice joined in. Ga Eul`s relationship with the pilot never suffered from the result of Yi Jeong `s leaving.

The roof, at a first glance looked empty; quiet but it soon became obvious that is was the calm before the storm. Yi Jeong could see his brother, Il Hyun bringing the chopper close but not quite touching the ground but close enough for a small person like Ga Eul to jump easily. Woo Bin jumped in first, his hand going to pull Ga Eul when the chopper swiveled slightly before rising up.

"We`re taking fire. You`ll be exposed in 5, take cover and I`ll handle it!"

Ga Eul found herself dragged away from the chopper, taking cover behind the huge water tanks closest to the edge. She wanted to go face the chopper because the alternative meant being pressed flush against Yi Jeong.

She had her eyes closed, breathing shallowly through her nose. He knew she`d rather take her chance with a military chopper than be within touching distance of him.

"You know, at some point you are going to have to talk to me. You can`t keep avoiding me forever!"

"There`s no harm in trying."

"There`s so much we must talk about. If we are to work together, you`re gonna have to start trusting me again!"

She scoffed, leveling the rifle he handed her when he found her, waiting for the signal to head for the bird. "I trust you as far as I can throw you. Plus aren't you a bit late for a talk? Four years too late?"

"Better late than never they say."

"Tell it to someone who cares!"

"If you two love birds are finished with your quarrel, move your asses and let`s go!"

He pushed her first, hand on her back to keep her low; head down with him covering her back. They sprinted towards the chopper, Woo Bin pulling Ga Eul up as Yi Jeong pulled himself up.

"Fire in the hole!" it took them a second to realize what Il Hyun meant. Being this close to the ground, meant they were bound to absorb some of the aftereffects of the dropped missile. The metal bird shook, taking a sharp dive to the left as the factory collapsed beneath them. His arms wrapped around her form protected by Kevlar, tucking her into his side; cursing his brother and wanting to kiss him for the excuse to touch her.

She tried not to remember the feel of him and what she felt for him. she had been young, naïve and in love with her training agent soon turned partner/lover. A horrible cliché but she did a cardinal sin and went ahead and loved him when he had stressed over and over again about his 'no badge' policy. That he wouldn't date a woman working in law enforcement. But then they assigned her to him. at first he was his cold-hearted Casanova self, a persona he was infamous for. A year later, he had become her best friend. Their friendship was put to the test when they went undercover for a whole 9 months as young lovers looking to make fast easy cash with no regards to the means. What they didn't count on was how long the op was or how much they came close to crossing a line between real and fiction under the guise of 'work' or for the sake of the 'case' until they did cross it more than one time. To her it meant everything, to him it meant absolutely nothing.

_"My head hurts," She groaned as they walked in the front door. She hated the nightclub part of this mission. _

_"Want to take something for it?" He asked. She shook her head. "Ugh," she gave a shudder and shook her head. She hated taking pills. "No. Just need chocolate."_

_He raised his eyebrows and looked at her, "Chocolate?" She turned around and gave him one of those little one-sided smiles that she had and usually used when she was teasing him._

_"Yeah. Don't you know chocolate increases your endorphin, which relieves pain." She headed to the kitchen and opened the cupboard. She groaned._

_"You had to put it up there, didn't you?" she turned to look at him with a tilt to her head and slightly exasperated look on her face. He tried not to smile. She did look cute when she got like this. She was hard to resist, but he stayed where he was and just watched her._

_"Didn't realize you couldn't reach. __"He__ watched her turn back and look up. Then, she turned around, put her hands on the bench and lifted herself up to sit there. She reached, but still couldn't quite get there. He went over and stepped close, moving to stand between her legs._

_"Let me." He reached up easily and pulled down the chocolate, but didn't move away._

_"This isn't the only thing that increases your endorphin you know," he said as he broke some off and held it out to her, just in front of her mouth._

_She took it and ate it slowly, as his gaze held hers. His hands settling on her knees, thumbs tracing circles on the insides of her knees._

_"Do you have something else in mind?" She asked when she was done.__He smiled slowly, slipped one of his hands gently behind her neck. She swallowed nervously, not terrified but excited, she was sure she knew what was coming. He closed the distance and kissed her. Her arms went round him quickly, holding him close. They'd been pushing the limits for a while, both enjoying the physical side of the mission but never crossing the line. He had a feeling that the line was going to get crossed soon though. Very soon._

_Her mouth opened under his and he deepened the kiss. She tasted like the chocolate, but gradually her own unique taste came through and it was more potent than anything else. She pulled back and looked at him. He waited for her to say it. Say their code word for 'stop'. Except she didn't, not exactly._

_"If black is stop, white would be continue, right?" she asked him, as she ran a finger gently over his bottom lip._

_He was curious about where she was going with this. "Guess that would make sense," he replied._

_She smiled and whispered, "White." She moved her head to capture his lips with hers as her hands moved to the buttons on his shirt and started working on them._

He left her to deal with the fallout of his absence. The physical recovery was the easiest. 6 weeks off and she was back in the gym. The emotional trauma; well that she wasn't sure she had fully recovered from yet, if she ever could.

**_~! I live here on my knees  
As I try to make you see  
That you're everything I think I need here on the ground._**

**_But you're neither friend nor foe  
Though I can't seem to let you go.  
The one thing that I still know is that you're keeping me down. !~_**

Ga Eul knew that things would never be the same after Yi Jeong`s return and what appeared to be a permanent one. She didn't however expect everything to fall apart with four months of his comeback. The two months she spent in Prague were easy compared to what she had to live through the following two months later after her 'rescue'. The house of fragile cards that was her life lost the first and most important card the day he showed up and the cards have been falling since then.

Her thing with Su Pyo has stopped for no apparent reason other than her lack of interest, not that there was to begin with. Su Pyo was convenient and _there._ A week later she saw him sneak out a conference room with the loud chatty IT girl that sat behind Yi Jeong and Ji Hoo. And much to dismay of Hey Ran, Jun Pyo clasped a handcuff on his and Jan Di`s hand in front of the whole office officially announcing them together, spending the rest of the afternoon looking for the key.

And Yi Jeong was still the same. Icy hot; a mass of contradiction. He had an air of indifference one day and the next he looked like she just murdered his puppy and reversed to run him over; twice.

She sneezed, almost feeling her eyes ready to pop out. The dust was everywhere, even the dust had dust over it. Ga Eul hated the dungeon. It was dark, dank, the humidity disgusting with zero visibility.

Something dropped and with the silence that always filled the archives room, it sounded as if a bomb went off.

Before she could question the presence of others, a hand covered her mouth, moving her towards the last aisle in the room. Hasn't been for the smell of his cologne, the lurch her heart gave told her who it was.

"Unless you want get suspension for catching our boss in the act, I suggest you keep quiet." He pushed them into a dark small corner, his arms caging her inside. The *****was enjoying this so much. Her wiggling stopped when she became aware of her body`s reaction as well as his own. He had been light, teasing but grew tense now, waiting. The pull of him was strong, irresistible. It called to her, knowing how to beckon its blind slave. He had ruined her and he knew it and he was toying with her to get on her good side once more.

Well good luck So Yi Jeong! This girl is made of….

"What would it take," his breath was caressing the shell of her ear, and her knees almost buckled "for you to believe me?" an arm curved around her waist, ghosting the curve of her hip, the concave of her back and back.

Believe that he left to protect her. that he couldn't fathom the idea of her hurt.

_"I had to watch him rip your clothes off and touch you. I had to watch him gun you down. I was helpless to stop it. I had your blood on my hands Ga Eul! You almost died and it was my entire fault."_

"I am sorry!" his knuckles brushed the smooth round skin of her warm cheeks, trailing her features. The last time he had done so was that fateful day where he thought he would never see her again.

"Stop it!"

Her voice wavered, thick with tears and he embraced her.

"You`re like gravity," he pushed her closer to him, her face pressed over his heart. her hair was still as soft and slight tremors shook her small frame "I hate the power you have over me!" she sounded miserable and so helpless. "I hate how weak you make me. I hate how I love you. I hate you for not being able to hate you!"

Her words unintentionally razor sharp. She was hurt, still is and would take her a long time to truly believe and be convinced of his decision. For now he`d take her not hating.

He didn't hate her too. So very much.

**_~! Something always brings me back to you.  
It never takes too long. !~_**


End file.
